IT HAPPENS every shopping trip at the supermarket - food is bought on impulse and then there’s the horrible scene a few weeks later when you search in the fridge. Meat has turned green and salad has turned soggy.

Luckily, there are some people who are out there trying to fight the trend and persuade people to eat their greens, not throw them away.

Celebrity chef Richard Fox was one of those who came to Hinckley to promote recycling campaign Love Food Hate Waste which is trying to encourage people to think about how they can turn that food into something useful.

With a few simple recipes he showed people in Hinckley how to turn salad leaves on their last legs, some peanuts and cheddar cheese into pesto.

At Hinckley’s Farmer’s Market last Thursday (September 17) Mr Fox explained a little bit more about why he was campaigning.

He said: “The statistics are shocking. I would never have imagined that we would throw out so much food. As a nation we throw out 6.7 million tonnes of food each year, and whenever we throw out a bag of salad, 60% of the volume is what’s thrown out.

“Most of it is unnecessary. If we addressed the value of food, it’s a no-brainer for the environment and for our pockets.

“As a cook who loves food I have always hated seeing food going to waste.”

Although most of the food that gets thrown out is food that’s out of date, Mr Fox encourages people to ignore the guidelines and think about how to get extra life out of it. On Thursday he showed the crowds in Hinckley how to create hummus using half a can of chick peas and some butter. With some flour, butter, old garlic and two-year old tube of dried herbs he created some pitta bread.

With carrot peels, which were then deep-fat fried he created crisps and then finally with an old can of tuna, some salmon and some vegetables he created a fish cake.

After just 25 minutes he wowed the crowds with four simple home-made dishes which he said gave that “gastro pub vibe using what we might have thrown away.”

Mr Fox said: “I feel evangelistic about saving food. I’m looking at my own fridge and cupboards and wondering how I can make food out things.

“You don’t use food sell-by-dates as much, with simple techniques you can make food last longer and extend it’s shelf life.”

For further information about the campaign and to view recipes visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.